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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27016654">Horns and Brass Knuckles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalBallOfDreams/pseuds/CrystalBallOfDreams'>CrystalBallOfDreams</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Daredevil (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:40:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,013</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27016654</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalBallOfDreams/pseuds/CrystalBallOfDreams</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jasmine moved to Hell's Kitchen to escape her previous life, hoping that it would be a new beginning for her. But unfortunately, trouble seems to just follow her. What happens when her past catches up with her and she tries to keep the people she knows safe? It all goes to shit, that's what happens.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Matt Murdock/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Nelson & Murdock, Attorneys at Law</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello everyone! I've recently started watching Daredevil and fell in love with the character of Matt Murdock. This idea just kind of came to me one night and so I'm just winging it. Rated mature for violence and sexual content later on. Don't hesitate to let me know how you like it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sound of flesh hitting the punching bag was the only thing that rang out in the empty gym. Well, empty except for the very pissed off woman punching the bag as if she were imagining someone’s face. Which, to be fair, she was. Blowing a piece of her black hair out of her sticky face, she grunted as she hit the bag again as music blared into her ears through the headphones she’d stuck in. Her breath puffed out in quick bursts, and her hands began to ache after about a half hour of aggressively pretending to pummel the guy’s face. Slowing down before stopping entirely, the punching bag squeaking back and forth until it hung still, she bent down to grab her bottle of water from the floor, uncapping it and taking a long sip before capping it and putting it back down. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled a bit and she took out a headphone to let the blaring rock music echo a bit quieter into the open room, listening for a second. Gasping, she swung around on her heels, her arm aimed to swing out and hopefully catch the person who was trying to sneak up on her in their face. What she didn’t expect was for the taller man to dodge her arm and take a quick step back as if he knew she was about to punch him. Taking a split second to realize that he wasn’t a threat, she huffed a bit and took out the other headphone. “Don’t you know not to sneak up on people?” She quipped at him, her eyes taking in the red glasses and the stick that the man held in his hands, a duffel bag draped over his shoulder. He was blind. How the hell did he know she was going to hit him? The man’s lips tilted up in a smile and he almost seemed to tilt his head a bit. “Didn’t you know it’s not nice to try and hit a blind man?” He replied, and she flushed a bit at his comment. “Well, in my defense, I thought I was alone tonight.” She slowly unwrapped her hands from the fabric she’d used to protect her fists, taking the moment to study the man before turning to put her things back in her bag, zipping it up and turning back to the guy, who’d set down his cane and bag on the floor of the boxing ring. She hesitated for a moment, not even sure what a blind man was doing in a gym. He couldn’t see what he was punching, what would keep him from missing or even hitting something else entirely? Either way, she shook her head and threw her bag on her shoulder. “Have a good night…” She realized that he hadn’t told her his name. “Matthew.” He supplied after a pause, and she nodded. “Jaz.” Raising her hand in way of goodbye, she exited out the door, mentally cursing herself for waving at a blind man before heading down the streets to her apartment.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>“Where were you? I thought you got off at six.” Her roommate immediately asked, and she gave a slight laugh at the lack of greeting by her best friend. “Hi to you too. I went to a gym down on 43rd street. Paid the owner to let me in this late at night.” Jasmine didn’t see the point in mentioning that Matt had snuck up on her, not wanting to get teased about how she couldn’t even hit a blind man. The fellow woman shook her head a bit at the information of where she’d been before taking in a deep breath, the heavy breath letting Jasmine know she was in for a rant. “Okay, but you know it's not safe for you to disappear without telling me what's going on. What if he had-." Jasmine couldn't let her finish that sentence and cut her off quickly, giving a quick glare to her friend. Penny knew better than to mention him. "I know, I know. I'm sorry Pen. I'll let you know next time." There was a long pause before Penny nodded and waved her hand towards the kitchen, where the smell of Thai takeout came from. "I ordered take out from that place around the corner. It’s surprisingly good but we’ll see how my stomach feels about it tomorrow.” Jasmine grinned and ruffled her friend’s hair on the way, ignoring the indignant protests at her treatment of the recently colored hair.</p>
<p>Later on that night, Jasmine fell into her bed and stared out the window to the buildings lit by the moonlight in thought. <em>How the hell does a blind man even dodge a fist he can’t freaking see? Maybe I’m just that predictable. Except he doesn’t know me.</em> She shook off the thoughts before setting an alarm for six a.m. and rolling over to fall asleep.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>It had been six months since Jasmine had moved into Penny's place in Hell's Kitchen. An escape from her previous life, and she prayed that her past would stay as such. The past. She'd quickly gotten a job as a receptionist at a small spa, though she hated it and was going around searching for a new job. Maybe something to put her accounting degree to use. The spa was just too slow for her, though it was nice in the beginning instead of the hustle and bustle of a regular company. Though nobody wanted to hire her when she'd never worked at a big company and had been out of college for some time now. Dressed in a pair of black slacks and a dark blue blouse that billowed out on her sleeves, Jasmine grabbed her purse and a file folder full of resumes, looking at the first place on her list before heading out into the morning sun.</p>
<p>The last place on her list was a law firm that had just formed not long ago, a Nelson &amp; Murdock, Attorney's at Law. She wasn't even sure if there was an opening or not, just knowing that most newly opened places tended to have job openings. She headed to the building, heading up the stairs and stopping in front of the door, reading the plaque and taking a deep breath before knocking and opening the door, putting on a big smile. "Hello." She announced to the startled blonde, and then looked to the blonde haired man standing next to her. "My name's Jasmine Baro. I'm wondering if you have an opening for an accounting position?" She questioned, and the blonde woman finally gave her a smile back and nodded. "Oh! I'm Karen. I'm not entirely sure if we could aff-" The man cut her off and came over, shaking her hand quickly. "Welcome Ms. Jasmine. I'm the Nelson out of the two. I'm the better looking of Nelson and Murdock." He flirted shamelessly and Jasmine couldn't help but grin at him. "Well, as I haven't seen the other man, I can't make an unbiased decision. I am really here looking for a job though." She tried to get the man back on track, the sound of the office door opening making her turn her head towards it. The guy from the gym stood there in the doorway, though this time he wore a nice looking suit. <em>Matthew. That's his name.</em> "Ah, Matt! This fine young woman is trying to find a job as an accountant!" Nelson told him, and Matt nodded slightly. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid we don't have the funds to hire an accountant right now." Matthew - Matt, replied to the chubby man and also to Jasmine. Her smile fell a little bit and nodded quietly. This had been the last place on her list that was close enough that she didn't need to buy a car. "Oh, I understand. Sorry for bothering you. Have a good day." She was at the doorway before Matt spoke up from the quiet conversation he was having with the second man. "Wait." Jasmine turned around with a raised eyebrow, looking at the blind man expectantly. "We can't pay you much, but Nelson is right. We need someone to do accounting. Karen can't do everything by herself." Jasmine felt her stomach tighten up in anticipation, hoping he was about to say what she thought he was. "If you don't mind the pay, you're hired." Nelson grinned in success and Jasmine let out a huge grin, almost unable to keep the excited noise from coming out. "Thank you so much! You won't regret it! I'll be on time every day! I'll be the perfect employee." Matt let a small smile show and the other man laughed. "No need for all that. Matt here comes in whenever he wants. Just remember to get us coffee since you're the newest employee now. I'm Franklin by the way, but most people call me Foggy." "Like the weather?" She asked, grinning a bit and noticing that Matt let a chuckle go at that. "You'll find he's often the opposite of foggy weather." He commented dryly before going back into his office, shutting the door.</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, I’m heading out.” Jasmine leaned on the doorway of the conference room which had turned into her temporary office until they could afford to get her a desk, looking at Karen bent over paperwork. She jumped a bit as if she’d forgotten Jasmine was still there before nodding distractedly. “Okay. I’m going to stay for a bit longer. See you tomorrow.” Jasmine smiled slightly and nodded, grabbing her jacket and purse before heading downstairs and out into the sounds of ambulances in the distance. It was a lot later than she normally left, preferring to leave during the daytime hours or at least before the sun set fully. Tucking her jacket close to her to avoid the chilly air, she started down the sidewalk with her hand shoved into her pocket, holding onto the pepper spray that held a permanent place there ever since she’d moved here.<br/>
She was about halfway home when she started to just feel uneasy, making her tuck her elbows to her sides even harder, eyes glancing around her through her black hair that was actually down for once. It only took another two blocks for the uneasy feeling to become a problem as she was suddenly grabbed from an alleyway and drug further into the shadows, a startled squeak coming out before she tried to struggle against the taller form. He grunted in surprise as she wiggled in his grip, elbowing her in the stomach to try and get her to calm down. She could tell in the shadows that it was a male by the height and bulk he had, though she couldn’t see the face too much. Stomping a heel on the guy’s foot caused him to let go in surprise and she whirled around to run to the street, yelling out in hopes somebody would be nearby. Doubtful, as the streets were pretty empty currently. “Help! Help me!” She screamed, any more words cut off by the guy grabbing at her hair and pulling hard, bringing tears to her eyes as he pulled some hair out. She fumbled in her pocket for the pepper spray, hand getting caught in her pocket as he landed a good hit to her face, knocking her down to the ground. Groaning in pain, Jasmine turned onto her back and looked up at the slowly approaching man. “You know, I see why he wants you so much now. You’re a fighter, I’ll give you that. He’ll enjoy breaking you.” The man smirked a bit at his words, laughing cynically. Jasmine’s heart was beating out of her chest as she slowly slid her hand out of her pocket now, flipping the switch on the pepper spray and spraying it at his face, ignoring his scream of pain as he stumbled backwards a bit. “Bitch!” He yelled at her, getting a good kick to her ribs as he tried to scrub his eyes free of the spray.</p><p>Groaning in pain and curling into a ball to try and avoid anymore kicks, Jasmine screamed again when a dark shape fell from the roof, landing on the ground near her assailant and immediately began attacking him. <i>Great. Another person to hurt me.</i> The thought was brief before she attempted to scramble up as the man in black clothing punched her attacker. He wore a black mask, and she half wondered how he could even see through it before she gasped in pain, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. It was only a minute or so before the masked man knocked out the other with a well-aimed uppercut, his chest heaving before turning to Jasmine. She squeaked a little bit in fear, and he paused his steps, holding his hands up in the universal sign of peace. “I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice was deep and gravelly, and Jasmine looked at him before looking at the other man unconscious on the ground before nodding. She’d seen the stories of the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Some were mixed, but a lot of online sites held him in high regard, helping those in need in the dark of the night. “Did he hurt you?” Her eyes snapped back to the masked man and her tongue darted out to wet her lips, tasting blood from where her bottom lip got split. “I don’t think so. I don’t think my ribs are broken. Head hurts like hell though.” She finally replied, rubbing the spot where her scalp burned from the ripped-out hair. “They’re not. Broken I mean.” He said after a moment, and she raised an eyebrow at how he would be able to tell before shaking it off. “Thank you.” A small uptilt of the corners of his mouth was the most she got out of him, before he took in a deep breath. “Go home. It’s not safe for you to be out here at night.” She nodded as she watched him dart up the fire escape and onto the roof again before practically running home, wanting to avoid another run-in with anyone else.<br/>
--<br/>
“My god Jaz, what happened?!” Foggy exclaimed as she walked into the office the next morning, holding a tray of coffee in her hands. She’d learned early on that Karen’s coffee sucked and had taken to bringing in some from the coffee shop down the street. “What?” She asked, though it was obvious what he was talking about. Her lip was split and there was a small cut on her cheek from where it had hit the ground. “Oh, I got attacked on the way home. I’m fine, really. He got what he deserved.” She replied, placing Karen’s cup on her desk even though the blond wasn’t in the office yet. “How’s that?” Matt spoke from behind her, and she jumped a bit at his sudden appearance. He had a lovely bruise forming on his jaw, and Jasmine raised an eyebrow at that. “What did you hit this time? Wasn’t it the coffee table just a couple days ago and a doorframe the day before that?” Jasmine teased lightly, though she wondered how he was such a klutz, especially when he took the coffee from her without her setting it in his hand like normal.<br/>
He grinned slightly at the teasing but shrugged. “Slipped in the shower is all.” He replied nonchalantly, and Jasmine shook her head slightly. “I swear, you’re going to kill yourself just by falling on something.” She replied before taking a sip of her coffee, wincing at the hotness against the cut on her lip. “Jasmine. What do you mean he got what he deserved? You didn’t…Did you?” Foggy asked and she laughed out loud at that, shaking her head. “No. I couldn’t do that if I wanted to. The man in the mask saved me.” Foggy raised an eyebrow, his eyes flickering to Matt who pretended to not be listening. “The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?” He asked, and she nodded as she flinched a bit at the pain that shot through her side as she sat down. Nothing had been broken, but she was severely bruised. “I do wonder how he sees though, with that mask covering his face. It’s hard to see as it is in the alleys.” There was a long silence where Foggy looked uncomfortable and Matt seemed to smirk at her words before Foggy nodded. “Well, I’m glad he was there in time. I’d miss the coffee delivery every morning.” Jasmine shook her head with a laugh, flipping him off before turning her computer on and logging in, only looking up when Karen came in a hurry, barely being on time.<br/>
--<br/>
“Hey Matt, can I talk to you for a minute?” She asked later in the day, peeking her head into his office when Foggy was out doing some investigating on some case they had. “What’s up?” He asked, motioning to Foggy’s seat which she gladly took. “So, umm…What happens if someone doesn’t listen to a restraining order?” She questioned quietly, and he paused for a second. “Well, normally they get fined but can also get imprisonment depending on the severity. But there must be proof that they broke the order. Why?” He asked, an eyebrow raising from behind his red glasses. “Oh, nothing! I just, wanted to know for a friend. She was getting concerned that the person she had a restraining order on isn’t listening to it.” He tilted his head for a moment before nodding quietly. “Well, she’s welcome to come to us if they come after her.” He finally replied, and Jasmine smiled a bit. “Thank you. I’m going to head home early today. Don’t want a repeat of last night.” She stood up and muttered a goodbye, not seeing Matt sit back in his chair and stare at her as she grabbed her things and left, contemplating what she’d told him.</p>
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